So you invited friends and family for a backyard cookout, and as you try to fire up the grill you realize the propane tank is empty.

In order to avoid this embarrassment, you could buy a $13 propane gas gauge, which you would have to check by going outside before you start cooking.

Or, for about $36 more, you could buy a new app-enabled gas gauge that went on the market this week that communicates with your smartphone, allowing users to check on how much gas is left and alerting them when it's time to get a fresh tank.

The new device, called Refuel, is the newest smart appliance released through a partnership between General Electric Co., which has substantial operations in the Capital Region, and Quirky, a New York City invention company.

Last November, GE took a $30 million stake in Quirky and promised to work with the company to launch 30 new Internet-connected home devices over the next five years.

GE also played a major role in convincing Quirky officials to open a customer-service office and test lab this spring in downtown Schenectady that will employ nearly 200 people.

The first GE and Quirky product to be launched was Aros, which is an app-enabled air conditioner that users can control and program with their smartphone. Aros was first sold for about $300 when it launched in May, but has recently been reduced to $279. Like Refuel, it's also being sold at Home Depot in addition to online sales through the Quirky website. Refuel is actually a lot cheaper if you buy it in-store at Home Depot at $29, according to the Home Depot web site.

When Quirky announced the establishment of its Schenectady office, GE officials said that GE engineers and intellectual property experts at GE Global Research in Niskayuna would work with Quirky testers at the new Schenectady lab on developing new products.

However, Refuel was tested in-house at Quirky's New York City headquarters, said a Quirky spokeswoman, after being submitted as an idea last fall by Boston construction worker Anthony Reddington.